According to the Scottish Environmental Horticulture Growth Strategy there are over one million people in Scotland who are regular gardeners.
From communal tenement gardens to expansive private grounds, we love our borders, rockeries, lawns and patios.
It’s hugely satisfying to see a plant you’ve cared for bloom into beautiful flowers, but you need to be careful what you choose and where you place it.
Some gardens have areas that rarely get any shade, which can be an issue for those plants that need time away from direct sunlight.
Luckily there are many plants with colourful flowers that just love the sun, but still thrive in the notoriously unpredictable Scottish climate.
Here are 11 of our favourites.
1. Lavender
Weirdly often known as English Lavender, even though it's native to the Mediterranean, Lavender provides attractive silvery foliage year-round before bursting into glorious purple blooms throughout July and August. It loves sunny borders, needs little in the way of rainfall (although in Scotland that might not be an issue) and is a favourite for butterflies and beeds. You can dry the flowers and use them to add fragrance to drawers and cupboards - it even keeps moths away from clothes. | Canva/Getty Images
2. Purple Coneflower
Another plant beloved of a myriad of welcome pollinating insect, the Purple Coneflower is native to the prairies and woodland of North America. It will still happily grown in sunlit Scottish soil though, creating pink-purple blooms all the way from June to September. | Canva/Getty Images
3. Threadleaf Coreopsis
For flowers as yellow as the sun that warms them, the Threadleaf Coreopsis is a perfect plant for sunny areas of Scottish gardens. Incredibly low maintenance, it will even thrive in dry and poor-quality soil. | Canva/Getty Images
4. Yarrow
Another great choice for poor-quality soil is Yarrow - which most commonly produces white flowers but is also available in everything from soft pastels to brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. It has no issue with wind either - meaning it can even thrive in exposed coastal gardens in Scotland. It does still need sun though. | Canva/Getty Images